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Introduction

Sustainable Materials Management

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systematic approach to serving human needs by using/reusing resources most productively and sustainably throughout their life cycles, from the point of resource extraction through material recycling or final disposal. This approach seeks to minimize the amount of materials involved and all the associated environmental impacts, as well as account for economic efficiency and social considerations. The Sustainable Materials Management Unit focuses on SMM as it relates to waste issues, particularly waste utilization. This aligns with the efforts of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's to address waste issues in the framework of SMM. This also fits with Michigan's 2007 Solid Waste Policy, which recognizes solid waste as a resource that should be managed to promote economic vitality, ecological integrity, and improved quality of life in a way that fosters sustainability.